Some Nigerians have called for the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, over allegations of bias linked to a controversial X account believed to be associated with him.
The account, originally identified as @joashamupitan, was recently changed to @Sundayvibe00 and labelled a parody account after users uncovered old posts expressing support for Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2023 elections.
Despite Amupitan’s denial of owning any X account, online investigators pointed to the account’s unique ID — 1567086242164101120 — which they claim traces back to him. According to these claims, the account was created in 2022 using details allegedly linked to the law professor.
The controversy intensified after AI tool Grok reportedly confirmed that the account ID originally belonged to @joashamupitan before it was changed to @Sundayvibe00 in April 2026 amid public scrutiny.
Joining the debate, Bashir Ahmad asked the AI to clarify the account’s origin.
“Hi @Grok, for the sake of transparency, what was the original name of the X account with ID: 1567086242164101120 when it was created in September 2022, before it was later changed to joashamupitan in November 2025?” he queried.
The AI responded: “The X account ID 1567086242164101120 was created on September 6, 2022, under the username joashamupitan. There is no record of it being changed to joashamupitan in November 2025. Public reports and account tracking confirm that was its username from creation until April 10, 2026, when it was updated to Sundayvibe00 (and locked/protected) amid controversy over 2023 posts.”
Archived posts from the account show pro-Tinubu sentiments. On March 18, 2023, the day of the presidential election, the account responded “Victory is sure” to a post by a party figure. In another post dated April 25, 2023, it replied “Asiwaju” to a message celebrating Tinubu’s reception in Abuja.
The development has sparked concerns over neutrality, with critics citing constitutional provisions that require the INEC chairman to be non-partisan and of unquestionable integrity.
Reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the allegations undermine confidence in the electoral process.
“The recent revelation linking a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet of 2023 to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Amupitan, is not merely disturbing, it is a grave affront to the integrity of our electoral system.
“In a democracy, the umpire must be above suspicion. He must not only be independent, he must be seen, beyond any reasonable doubt, to be independent. That is the minimum standard required of anyone entrusted with the sacred duty of conducting free and fair elections.
“However, more troubling is the desperate attempt to tamper with digital records, to erase evidence of his previous partisanship.
“This is not a trivial matter. It is a calculated assault on truth and accountability.
“A man who manipulates records to save himself cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions.
“Over the past few days, it has been repeatedly revealed that Professor Amupitan, by his conduct, his utterances, and now by incontrovertible digital evidence, has fallen far below the standard expected of an electoral umpire. The referee cannot be running around in the shirt of one of the teams he’s supposed to officiate in a match.
“This is why Professor Amupitan must resign. Now. Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy. Relying on this evidence, ADC will be updating our petitions to all relevant institutions, including to foreign governments and the Nigeria Bar Association.
“We will also renew and escalate our civil disobedience action until the INEC Chairman leaves office.”
The controversy continues to generate debate, with calls mounting for greater transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s electoral system.
